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Zavod za hitnu medicinu

Spinฤiฤ‡eva ul. 1, Split, Croatia

Last audited May 2026 By SmileJet Audit Team How we audit โ†’
3.3/5  · 34 reviews

Why Choose Zavod za hitnu medicinu in Split?

Zavod za hitnu medicinu is the Institute of Emergency Medicine of Split-Dalmatia County, providing 24/7 emergency medical services across the Split region of Croatia.

Zavod za hitnu medicinu -- formally the Institute of Emergency Medicine of Split-Dalmatia County (Zavod za hitnu medicinu Splitsko-dalmatinske zupanije) -- is the public emergency medical institution responsible for delivering pre-hospital emergency care across the Split-Dalmatia County region of Croatia. Operating around the clock every day of the year, the institute dispatches trained emergency medical teams to respond to acute medical, trauma, and cardiac events throughout one of Croatia's most populous and geographically diverse counties.

The institute is part of Croatia's national network of county emergency medicine institutes, overseen by the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine (HZHM) at the national level. It implements standardized emergency medicine protocols for emergency medical transport by road and collaborates with relevant authorities on air and water medical transport operations -- an important capability given the numerous islands and coastal communities within Split-Dalmatia County that may require helicopter or boat-based medical evacuation.

The county of Split-Dalmatia is home to more than 450,000 residents spread across a large geographic area that includes the city of Split -- Croatia's second-largest city -- along with numerous coastal towns, inland municipalities, and dozens of inhabited Adriatic islands. The topographic and demographic diversity of this region creates significant logistical challenges for emergency medical response, requiring the institute to maintain a network of well-positioned stations and a fleet of well-equipped vehicles capable of reaching patients in both urban and remote settings within acceptable response times.

The institute's core mandate centers on pre-hospital emergency care: responding to calls for medical assistance, stabilizing patients at the scene, and transporting them safely to the appropriate hospital or emergency department. Emergency medical teams are composed of trained paramedics and emergency physicians who carry advanced life support equipment, including cardiac monitors, defibrillators, airway management devices, and medications for managing a wide range of acute medical emergencies including cardiac arrest, stroke, respiratory failure, trauma, and acute pain.

Beyond direct patient care, the institute plays an important role in the broader healthcare system of Split-Dalmatia County. It participates in the education and training of healthcare workers in emergency medicine, contributes to research in the field, and manages the informatization of emergency medical services -- ensuring that dispatch, documentation, and data management systems meet national and European standards. The institute also collects and maintains registers of emergency interventions for the county, providing the data foundation for quality improvement, resource planning, and public health analysis.

Public education in emergency medicine is another key function. By training members of the general public in basic life support (BLS) and first aid, the institute extends the reach of the emergency response system beyond its own professional teams. Early bystander intervention -- particularly in cases of cardiac arrest, where immediate CPR can double or triple survival rates -- is a critical component of effective emergency care, and the institute's public education efforts contribute meaningfully to health outcomes across the county.

Split itself is a major international tourism destination, welcoming millions of visitors annually to its UNESCO-listed Diocletian's Palace, Adriatic beaches, and island ferry connections. The presence of a professionally run, nationally standardized emergency medical institute provides an important safety net for the large transient population that passes through the county each year, ensuring that international visitors have access to rapid emergency medical response when needed.

For residents and visitors in Split and Split-Dalmatia County, the institute represents the front line of the Croatian emergency medical system -- a public institution dedicated to being present, responsive, and effective when patients face their most urgent health crises.

The institute is led by director Leo Luetic, Dr. med., and its main operational base is located at Spinciceva 1, 21000 Split. The institute's work reflects the standards of emergency medicine practice established at the national level by the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine, ensuring that the quality of pre-hospital care in Split-Dalmatia County is consistent with best practices observed across Croatia and the broader European emergency medicine community.

Quality assurance and continuous improvement are integral to how the institute operates. Data collected from emergency interventions feeds into ongoing analysis of response times, clinical outcomes, and resource utilization, driving decisions about staffing, vehicle deployment, and protocol updates. This systematic approach to performance monitoring is characteristic of well-run emergency medicine institutes and helps ensure that the institute's response to the evolving needs of Split-Dalmatia County's population remains effective over time.

The institute also coordinates with other components of the county and national health system -- including hospital emergency departments, the Croatian Red Cross, and civil protection authorities -- to ensure a coherent and well-integrated response to both individual emergencies and large-scale incidents. This coordination is particularly important during the peak tourist season, when the county's population swells dramatically and the demand on all health services, including emergency medicine, increases significantly.

Croatia's investment in modernizing its emergency medicine infrastructure over the past two decades has positioned institutes like Zavod za hitnu medicinu among the more capable pre-hospital care providers in Southeast Europe. For anyone living in, working in, or visiting Split-Dalmatia County, the institute stands as an essential public service -- the first call when a medical emergency strikes and the critical bridge between the scene of an emergency and the definitive hospital care that follows.

Patient Reviews from Split

3.3

โ˜… 34 reviews

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Renata Martinovic

April 2026 ยท โ˜… 5

All the best about them and a big thank you! Speed, expertise, humanity, simplicity and the feeling that you are in good hands. Unfortunately, I don't know the names... I think Dr. Ida or Aida and the nurse is warm and kind, with short blonde hair. Thank you!

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Suzanne Iljazi

April 2026 ยท โ˜… 5

Hello, you treated Mamaman Hamzi, also known as Amzi Andjelka, born on July 27, 1932. She stayed in your care for approximately 10 days in May 2019, but sadly passed away on June 28, 2019. We would appreciate a report of her health during her stay with you, as doctors in France always ask for family medical history. We look forward to your response. Sincerely...

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Milena Madunic

April 2026 ยท โ˜… 5

I want to commend the two young people who came immediately this evening to examine my mother, who had fallen and was complaining of pain... I'm sorry I didn't manage to find out their names, they were a young girl and a boy, and I commend them for their efficiency, speed, and care... Thank you very much from โค

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Anyusha

April 2026 ยท โ˜… 1

Don't go here if you're a foreigner. I rather be sick than experience this ever again. Worst medical professionals I've ever dealt with in my life.

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slobodanka anticic

April 2026 ยท โ˜… 5

I feel the need to write a few words publicly. In the last month, there have been several interventions by the Emergency Department for my mother, who suffers from angina pectoris, Parkinson's disease, hypertension, and several additional problems. As they say, "man is the key to success," I can honestly say that the Emergency Department has wonderful people in its ranks, dedicated and selfless doctors, nurses, technicians, and drivers. Every single one of them we met on these several occasions was wonderful. And above all, professional, attentive, and patient. Thank you very much, dear people! Without you, the world would be a much sadder place.

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Stripy Stipanovic

April 2026 ยท โ˜… 1

SHAME ON THIS CALL AS AN EMERGENCY. YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR NAME URGENTLY.

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Vlatka Vlatka

April 2026 ยท โ˜… 1

My husband and I brought my father who has colon cancer (immobile)...so he is in severe pain...please ease his pain a little..., And the doctor in question (some blonde) and the nurse laughed at me in a conceited way and said, well, he definitely has cancer, what can we do...he will definitely die... I have nothing to do with it...you are free.. I also know that my father will die-but I can't watch him die in so much pain...it's inhumane... Thank God he died recently... But shame on you-all you healthcare workers! Phew!...for our healthcare and who gave you work permits...you were operated on out of feelings...

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Ante Tesija

April 2026 ยท โ˜… 1

The bottom of the bottom..God help us when those who went to medical school don't want to help us and don't have a shred of humanity or empathy in them, and let's not even talk about the behavior towards those in need. And let's not even talk about the incompetence when my cousin fell off his bike and broke his shoulder in three places and they sent him home with the hospital and he had to practice with a balloon arm and shoulder in the sea and so the bones were even more worn out and he went to Akromion in Krapina for surgery and they put titanium in his joint instead of the joint because due to the oversight and ignorance of the Split "doctors" my cousin is now 40% disabled..they are the bottom of the bottom and I feel sorry for all of us who have to ask for help and get verbal soup. Let's trust in God because He is the Lord of all and people are no longer people. They have turned into unempathetic beings..God save them..UNCULTURED, HASTID, PREPOTENTIVE..EVERY HONOR TO THE EXCEPTIONS WHO ARE ONE AGAIN MILLION..AND TODAY 13.04.2026.I CALLED FOR MY MOTHER BECAUSE SHE WAS NERVOUS ABOUT SOMETHING WITH MY FATHER THIS MORNING AND I CALLED THE EMERGENCY BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED. THEY CAME IN HALF AN HOUR AS THE DISPATCHER TOLD ME ON MY CELL PHONE. MY MOTHER WAS NERVOUS AND BLAMED IT ALL ON ME. SHE RAISED HER VOICE A LITTLE. I SAID MOTHER CALM DOWN AND MY TATTOOED MEDICAL BROTHER WITH LINES IN HIS EAR WAS LOOKING ANGRY AT HERSELF UNTIL NOON AND FROM NOON ON EVERYTHING ELSE NOT A GOOD DAY OR GOODBYE. AND THE DOCTOR IS EXPERT, CALM, NORMAL. AND HE SAID HE WOULD CALL THE POLICE. I SAID WHY? DID WE HAVE A FIGHT OR WHAT? GOD SAVE US, THIS ALL GOT TO THE DISHONORABLE..I FEEL PAINFUL FOR EVERYONE PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES DEPEND ON EMERGENCY. FIRST OF ALL, THEY ARE DYING. AND I REPEAT AGAIN THAT THERE ARE SO FEW EXCEPTIONS IN THE SPLIT HOSPITAL OF FIRULE THAT THEY CAN BE COUNTED ON THE FINGERS OF ONE HAND. IN ONE WORD: SHAME. AND ALSO THE ATHENA WHO CUT MY BACK ON 06.01.2026. THERE WERE NOT TWO MEN AT THE HOSPITAL TO PROCESS IT AND I WAS WAITING FOR AN HOUR AND A TIME FOR THEY TO CUT IT OUT AND THE DR SAID IT WAS GOOD THAT IT WOULD BE THREE DAYS THE WOUND HAS NOT HEALED AND THE STINK OF PUS IS oozing out of that WOUND. SO NOW TELL ME WHAT EXPERTISE IS THAT.

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II. KJ

April 2026 ยท โ˜… 1

I'm coming in around 7:30 pm today, due to difficulty breathing and nasal congestion that I can't get rid of for a long time, two weeks (I'm exhausted, especially in the evening like today, and I can't blow anything out or unclog it with drops). I came in the hope of asking if there was anything that could help me right now, or if they could give me some advice or something (I'm taking two nasal drops that I can take, not pills... because I'm pregnant), and of course I'm not coming, because I have nothing to do, so I need help of any kind, since my doctor is already familiar with it, but she didn't give me anything except drops that don't help me. The clinic is empty, three employees are sitting in front, I'm going to go in, and a lady who smokes greets me and approaches me at the front door and asks what I need. I tell her that I'm here about congestion and difficulty breathing, that I'm already taking drops that nothing is helping me, and that my doctor has referred me (because she immediately transferred me to my family doctor), and that I need any help if there is one for this problem. Her reaction to my answer is because What I came for was WITH A MOCK AND A RUDE ANSWER. With a cigarette and juice in her hands she tells me that I am not an emergency and that they do not do such things and that I should go to my doctors. The lady in question, the ambulance worker, was very rude and I tell her why such a reaction? I did not come to harass you, I have a problem and I came to get any help if I can be relieved a little. She continued on her way again, taking out other things that they only do for emergencies, so I, not having the strength for further discussions and violent reactions, said Thank you, you have pleasantly surprised me, while the other employee turned his head and I went home like a nobody. It's a shame what these people have become, but still tomorrow when I get home I will report the lady, because she did not want to see me or let me into the ambulance, what did I need to make a scene for someone to listen to me and accept me, did we come to this?

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Astrid Striniฤ‡

April 2026 ยท โ˜… 5

All praise and a big thank you to the wonderful team of the Split Ambulance Service, consisting of Dr. Klaudija Anฤ‘elkoviฤ‡ and medical technician Sergije Mareliฤ‡. In addition to their expertise, knowledge and skills, they have a lot of empathy, humanity and kindness for the patient. Their arrival on February 25, 2026 gave us hope that everything would go well, which we did not think when we were contacted by a dispatcher who also yelled at the physiotherapist who was in our apartment and did not listen to us. Dr. Anฤ‘elkoviฤ‡ and technician Mareliฤ‡ are true professionals and an example of how to act, and I would like to thank them once again. They are truly an excellent team!

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★ 3.3 (34 reviews)

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